Hillsborough evacuates Nash Steet area after gas leak

Firefighters and police responded before noon Tuesday to a reported gas leak on South Nash Street near downtown Hillsborough.

Orange Rural Fire Department crews and Hillsborough police officers responded to the call after a piece of heavy equipment being used in renovation work at the Old Bellevue Mill backed over a meter, breaking a three-inch gas line, Hillsborough spokesman Jonathan Rickard said.

Firefighters evacuated a two-block area of homes and retail businesses as a precaution, and Hillsborough police set up a perimeter around the area, Rickard said. The line was shut off and the area reopened before 12:30 p.m., he said.

Emergency officials said the concentration of gas in the air was not measured at dangerous levels.

Read Next

GoTriangle is expected to submit a final application for the Durham-Orange light-rail line to the Federal Transit Administration in April. A few snags remain, including a rail crossing and Duke’s Erwin Road concerns.